(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven, and more particularly, to a microwave oven having a fan for circulating air through a cooking chamber.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a microwave oven is a cooking appliance which cooks food by frictional heat generated by making the molecules of the food being cooked move at high speeds with the use of microwaves.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, shown respectively are an exploded perspective view of a conventional microwave oven and a front view of the microwave oven illustrated in FIG. 1.
As shown in drawings, the conventional microwave oven comprises a main body 10 defining an exterior of the microwave oven, a cooking chamber 20 having predetermined dimensions and inside of which food to be cooked is placed, and an electrical component compartment 30 provided to one side of the cooking chamber 20. Provided on a front of the microwave oven are a door 40 for opening and closing the cooking chamber 20, the door 40 being attached by hinge members (not shown), and a control panel 41 which is manipulated by the user to make various selections for the cooking of food.
The electrical component compartment 30, within which many electrical components for radiating microwaves are disposed, is separated from the cooking chamber 20 by a partition wall 11. Mounted inside the electrical component compartment 30 are a transformer 31 for raising a level of voltage supplied from an external electric power source, a magnetron 32 for generating microwaves using the high voltage supplied from the transformer 31 and radiating the microwaves into the cooking chamber 20, a fan 34 for cooling the various electrical components in the electrical component compartment 30 by drawing external air therein through a plurality of air holes 14 formed on a rear wall 13, and a guide duct 33 for directing the external air drawn into the electrical component compartment 30 by the fan 34 to the cooking chamber 20.
In addition, it is possible to dispose a heater 50 for grilling food in an upper portion of the cooking chamber 20.
A plurality of inlet holes 12, through which external air drawn into the electrical component compartment 30 by the fan 34 and directed by the guide duct 33 flows into the cooking chamber 20, are formed in the partition wall 11 which separates the cooking chamber 20 from the electrical component compartment 30. The inlet holes 12 are located on a forward, upper corner of the partition wall 11 corresponding to the positioning of an outlet of the guide duct 33.
Further, a plurality of outlet holes 22, through which the external air drawn into the cooking chamber 20 is exhausted to the outside of the cooking chamber 20, are formed in a side wall 21, which is opposite to the partition wall 11. The outlet holes 22 are located on a rearward, upper corner of the side wall 21.
With the above structure, external air drawn into the electrical component compartment 30 by the fan 34 flows into the cooking chamber 20 through the guide duct 33 and inlet holes 12, and is exhausted to the outside of the cooking chamber 20 through the outlet holes 22 as shown by the arrow of FIG. 2, thereby removing moisture vapor and odors generated from the cooking of food in the cooking chamber 20.
However, after cooking food using the conventional microwave oven structured as described above condensed, moisture remains in the cooking chamber, necessitating the wiping of the excess moisture by the user. That is, although some moisture evaporated from food cooked in the cooking chamber is partially removed by the air circulated through the cooking chamber by the fan, much moisture remains in the cooking chamber. In particular, an excessive amount of moisture gathers in a rearward, lower corner of the cooking chamber formed by the partition wall, a floor, and a back wall of the cooking chamber.